CNN Sept 27, 2000President Clinton announced Wednesday that the federal
budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 amounted to at least $230 billion, making it
the largest in U.S. history and topping last year's record surplus of $122.7
billion."This represents the largest one-year debt reduction in the history
of the United States," Clinton said Wednesday morning. "Like our
American athletes in Sydney, we've been breaking records and have come a long
way."In June, the administration predicted the surplus would be $211
billion, and would increase by as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

Sept. 24, 2010 Tax.com reportThe tax cuts cost $1.8 trillion
in the first eight years, according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center,
whose reliability the last administration went out of its way to praise. Those
cuts were heavily weighted toward the people candidate George W. Bush famously
called "haves and the have-mores . . . some people call you the elite. I
call you my base."

If the legislature had REALLY supported a balanced budget, this resolution would
have been passed when George Walker Bush was in the White House (remembner Bush
-- the guy who inherited not only a balanced budget, but one with a surplus, AND
a plan that would have paid off the national debt by 2010 and ended up
bankrupting the United States). Oh -- silly me -- Bush was a member of their
political party, and therefore okay.

The legislature is just
playing partisan political games. We deserve better.

I am retired and look to social security for assistance but our goverment has
messed the system up by overspending the funds. If my lawyer was doing the same
thing with my money he would be in jail. Where is our attorney general?

Most responsible citizens support running our government on a balanced
budget like every sensible hourseholder has to do. Truth is, our government is
being run by unaccountable people who "counterfit" our dollar and
overdraft our bank accounts, Chicago mafia gangland style. No wonder we are in
deep mire.

The preservation of our country demands a third party. The Democratic and
Republican Parties are firmly in control of radical elements. Most of the
prime time broadcasts of CNBC are about how DOMA is destroying families gay
families. Guest after guest discusses the hard ships they face as couples who
are in same sex relationships. All demand support of Democratic attempts to
repeal DOMA. The Republicans are firmly in control of the top 3% who have just
one goal protect the Bush tax cuts. Those cuts were heavily weighted toward the
people George W. Bush famously called "haves and the have-mores . . . some
people call you the elite. I call you my base.Our primary system has been
hijacked by these extreme elements and the great majority of us are left without
representation. We need someone like Jon Huntsman or Evan Bayh to step up to
the plate and rescue our nation.

The proposed balance budget amendment must include language that restores the
travesty wrought by the Supreme Court in the 1930's when they said Congress can
spend money for things besides those specifically enumerated powers in the US
Constitution. If Congress is spending money then they are exerting
influence/authority over the that area/thing. If the area/thing is not one that
the states tasked the US Government to perform via the US Constitution then the
spending cannot by any rational or objective measure be seen as constitutional.

What are they doing passing resolutions and debating things like DABC leadership
and school board partisanship? I thought this was a minor
"housekeeping" session for the legislative branch. It seems like it
was, in fact, a bluster session and nothing of substance was done. What a waste
of money.

Lost in DCWhat was the argument for the Bush tax cuts? I recall the
Republican language that the surplus must be given back to the people. I did not
personally count the money so I don't know. Why wasn't the CNN report disputed?

Could
you live without going into debt? Could you? Really? How are you going to buy a
car or a house? How are you going to pay for secondary education? What about big
ticket items like washer/dryer/refrigerator/furnace/etc? What if a loved one on
the other side of the country suddenly falls ill?

Debt itself is not
the enemy, excessive debt caused by overspending is.

Mandating a
balanced budget could cripple this nation in so many ways its not even funny.
How do we stimulate our economy? How do we wage war? How do we react to national
crises? How do we handle environmental disasters? All that requires some deficit
spending.

I believe the best solution is requiring 2/3 support from
both houses of Congress before any additional debt is authorized. If you can get
a clear majority of both parties to vote for deficit spending then it is more
than likely necessary. Otherwise, it is not.

'It'll be the 7th time the debt limit (ceiling) has been raised during this
administration. In fact it was just two months ago, on July 30, that President
Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which contained a provision
raising the debt ceiling to $10.615 trillion.'

"According to
the Pew Economic Policy Group, an extension of all of the Bush tax cuts will
cost $3.1 trillion over ten years, once the costs of servicing the debt are
factored in."

FDRfan | 9:05 p.m. July 20, 2011 - Well said!

When claiming you want a 'balanced budget'..?

Make sure
your party didn't DOUBLE the national debt when you had control last.

You know I am so sick and tired of leftists touting there
was surplus that was inherited by Clinton. Let me remind you that Mr Clinton did
not have 4 jet airliners fly into the World Trade Center, Pentagon and a field
in Pennsylvania wreaking havoc on our economy, as a matter of fact, I thank
Heaven every day we didn't have Clinton or Gore or any Democrat for that matter
in office, because they would have bent over backwards saying "we are so
sorry for making you so mad at us, what can we do to help so you wont hurt us
any more." There is nothing like the current Democrats to make us unsafe
and weak in the world. Where oh where are the democrats like FDR and Truman?

Admiral Michael Mullen CJCOS (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) proclaimed
"the biggest threat we have to our national security today is our
debt".

Former Speaker of the House Ms. Pelosi, Sen. Majority
Leader Harry Reid and Pres. Barak Hussein Obama , et al, have truck loads of
explaining in disregarding the affirmations of the top military leader, not to
mention their flagrant flip flopping on their campaign rhetoric against Pres.
George W. Bush.

It is mind numbing yet predictable how professed
fiscal conservatives would ignore their oath of office the way retired Sen.
Bennett rationalized away his oath of office. I do not know of any other way to
"protect and defend the Constitution of The United States against [all]
enemies foreign and [domestic]"

There is a new Sheriff in town
that boldly waves the banner of truth, integrity, honesty and true fiscal
conservative values in [defense] of our God our women and children and the
security of this promised land of America and who is not afraid to stand up to
and aggressively counteract the social progressive cancer enveloping the United
States of America.

The Utah Republican legislature does not represent the citizens of Utah. tThey
represent those far fight republicans who have hijacked the caucus system that
Utah uses to choose candidates for state offices.

I believe an open
system where anyone who wants to run for state office may put up a fee and a
petition with a set number of signatures of citizens who support the candidate
running for the office. Much like most of the US does now.

At this
time it is not possible for anyone who wants to run for office to do so. The
caucus system does not allow anyone to run who wants to do so. As stated above -
the radical right have eliminated the freedom for anyone who is not approved by
the radical right to run for office. It should be eliminated!

When I fist moved to Utah from another state I heard of the cowboy caucus and
Gail Razukas bunch were a joke. Sadly I found out they were for real and were
not in politics for the good of the state, but for the good of their own narrow
goals. Sadly Utah does not have a representative government. It has a
government run by very right wing radicals.

It may be easy for young lawmakers, or the very rich, to want to balance the
budget by taking away the seniors Social Security, Medicare, Medicade, Welfare,
Food Stamps, and anyother safety net that they might need to survive. If the
lawmakers are not handicapped, it may be easy to take away the same benefits
from them also.

Most of us, that are using the safety nets have been
barely able to survive. Without those safety nets, those of us that are lucky
enough to have children, will have to move in with them.

Those of us
that have no children to move in with, will become homeless.

Since
1935, when Roosevelt estabished the Social Security program, we have trusted it
and the leaders that keep it strong. Can we no longer trust our politions of
today ???

The only sane--that is, Economics 101 literate--voice in the reported debate is
the quote from Senator Robles: that it is fiscally irresponsible to pass a
balanced budget amendment. When an economy is in recession, such as ours is,
deficit spending--increasing deficits--is the only way to get out of the
recession. Not to mention that the country is running two wars and the
government has to deal with the consequences of a recession. Of course, it
depends what you are spending the deficit spending on. If it is on keeping
intact state and local government employment, education, healthcare, and
infrastructure these would not only boost the sagging demand now but also
strengthen the US (and UT!) economy in the future. These types of spending allow
private enterprise to take advantage of state of the art infrastructure, skilled
and healthy labor force. The profitability of the economy improves and the
wellbeing of our people is ensured.

It is sad that we are in the
dark ages at the moment: Most in our legislature (and commentators here) have
not taken an Introductory Macroceconomics course or choose to overlook its
basics for partisan purposes.

Who was it that said to the world, on his radio show, the first week that
President Obama took office:

"If you are a Patriotic Citizen,
you will hope that every thing that this President tries to do will fail

"If you are a Patriotic Citizen of this county you will hope that
everything this President does get passed, will fail or be repealed

What Political Party, and its appendages, endorce this and have from the first
week until now and ongoing, try to show that they are the so called Patriotic
party(s) by blocking everything the President tries to do.

Which TV
network promotes this same distructive advice given by the said radio host
during the first week of our President in office.

What as voting
citizens, can we do about it in November, to show our displeasure, in the those that would ruin America in order to keep their own party strong?

Bush's budget fiasco had nothing to do with the 9/11/2001 attacks. It came
from his unfunded tax welfare for the wealthy and his unfunded wars. He
operated on a "borrow and spend" philosophy, and we're paying the
price for that now.

Your comment concerning President Clinton and
Vice President Gore is without merit. Either of them would have gone after the
people who attacked the United States on 9/11/2011, BUT they (1) would have done
so wisely and (2) would have made sure they attacked the right people
(Afghanistan -- yes, BUT Iraq had nothing to do with the attack). Where were
the Democrats like FDR and Truman? We had them with Clinton and Gore.